How to Carry a Water Bottle on Your Electric Bike

No place for a water bottle on your electric bike?

A common problem with electric bikes is that there is no way to carry a water bottle. This is a serious problem because, contrary to popular belief, it’s possible to get a lot of exercise on an ebike – which means you need to have a lot of water.

With a bike commute of well over an hour, there was no way I could manage without a water bottle. In fact, I usually need a drink of water within the first ten minutes. I tried carrying a water bottle in my pannier, but this was just way too much hassle.

This water bottle problem is caused by the unique geometry of electric bikes. The need to accommodate a motor and a battery often means that there is no space left on the frame for a water bottle cage.

The need to accommodate a motor and a battery often means that there is no space left on the frame of an electric bike for a water bottle cage

Carry a water bottle on your electric bike with an SKS Topcage water bottle cage

We both find the SKS Topcage water bottle cage plus SKS water bottle work perfectly. The adjustable strap on the adapter means that it can fit almost any electric bike. You can swivel the bottle to a comfortable position so that you don’t bump it with your knees, or knock it when you dismount. The whole system is very simple and installs in seconds, and you can take it off just as quickly. Once on, it’s totally secure. It’s really a very clever, elegant, and cheap solution to the problem of how to carry a water bottle on your electric bike. You do have to buy three parts – adaptor, bottle cage and bottle – but seeing as the total cost is about $25, it’s really a cheap solution.

The SKS Bottle Cage fits perfectly on the Haibike Xduro Trekking Pro. Notice the adapter on the left with the orange-striped strap and then the orange dot, then the black SKS bottle cage, and then the SKS bottle with its distinctive black and orange top. It’s an elegant solution that stands up to wear and tear over time extremely well. I bought this as an after-thought with my first electric bike, and have used it with every one since.

This bottle cage fits perfectly with the SKS Cycling Sports Water Bottle, to provide an easy solution for carrying water on this and other electric bikes. Note that regular water bottles are a bit too thin for this bottle cage.

If you look closely, you will notice an SKS bottle cage on most of my photos of my electric bikes – such as on this BH Easy Motion Neo City, which I reviewed hereHere is Maggie with her new electric bike, a Cube Elly Ride Hybrid 400. We tried putting a bottle cage on the down tube, but because of the compact women specific design of the bike, it got in the way in the worst way. So … once again, an SKS bottle cage was required! In this photo, you can spot the bottle and cage just below her left handThis photo shows the SKS bottle cage and adapter more clearly

CamelBak solution

If the SKS solution does not appeal to you, you can get around it by getting a good CamelBak to carry on your back. Just do not get one that requires two hands to release the valve and actually drink from it, thus making it useless for cyclists (except those rare, talented cyclists who can cycle with no hands). I made this mistake, and the cheap CamelBak I ordered was useless. If you want a good one, it’s going to cost you.

Bottom line on how to carry a water bottle on your electric bike

Obviously, I recommend the SKS system, which works perfectly for me and for Maggie. It’s a very rugged system that does not wear out with time and use. The second best solution, to my mind, is to find a CamelBak that works for you. The drawback is that this costs much more, and I don’t personally find it very comfortable to carry your water on your back. Of course, millions of camels would disagree with me!

Thinking of buying an Electric Bike? Check out my new edition of How to Buy the Best Electric Bike! Buy it here.

Did you like this post or find it useful? If so, please support us and our blog:

Please consider clicking through to one of our reputable affiliates for your online shopping needs. We are proudly affiliated with Amazon, which sells pretty much everything except puppies - and has outstanding, free return policies. For your cycling and other athletic shopping needs, we are affiliated to Competitive Cyclist, Bike Wagon, Raleigh Bicycles, Jenson USA, REI Co-op, Backcountry, Commuter Bike Store, and Moosejaw. When you buy from our affiliates we make a small commission, and this is the only way we earn some income for the many hours of work we put into our reviews and posts. Plus, it costs you nothing at all - a real win/win situation!

Hi! I'm Maggie Neilson (aka Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist). Together Joe and I have done a lot of cycling, and Joe has passed on his love of electric bikes to me. I love my electric bike, and I share my passion for electric bikes on this blog.